


Come Apart

by Oricalle



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Drabble, Gen, Gender Neutral Byleth, Grief/Mourning, Nightmares, church route spoilers, paying the angst tax
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 07:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20372728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oricalle/pseuds/Oricalle
Summary: A lone, ragged teddy bear sat there, looking back with black button eyes.  Its fur was misshapen and one of the arms was gone, but Byleth would have recognized it anywhere.





	Come Apart

**Author's Note:**

> Major Spoilers for the Church Route of Three Houses follow!

“I know this seems morbid, Professor. But it is our duty to ensure we leave no stone unturned.” Seteth breathed in, resting a firm hand on Byleth’s shoulder. He looked stalwart as always, but distress seemed to lurk beneath his skin.

“I will wait outside. Please call if you need me.”

With trembling hands, Byleth opened the door to the royal bedchamber.

It had been mere hours since the battle at Enbarr had concluded. Byleth, leading the Knights of Seiros and their allies, had launched an attack against the palace stronghold of their fiercest rival, Edelgard von Hresvelg. Bloodstains and scorch marks littered the once pristine halls, hundreds of soldiers waited to bury their friends, and in the end, Byleth had breached the throne room and confronted their former student.

It only took a single clean cut to end her life, but it felt like a thousand. Byleth didn’t know what became of the corpse.

Stepping into her bedchamber was an oddly familiar experience. Edelgard was always a very private person, so Byleth only visited her dormitory on rare occasions, but the scent of freshly brewed bergamot tea was a constant. Apparently, it still was.

Impeccably clean red velvet carpets stretched across the floor, illuminated by the setting sun leaking through the glass window. A single stained pane, shaped like the Adrestian eagle, darkened the center of the room, casting shadows across a single bed. The quiet sense of duty that seemed to surround the Emperor managed to come through, even in her absence.

The sheer uniformity and cleanliness of the room only made the dip in the sheets near the foot of the bed stand out. Byleth walked towards it, inhaling the faint acidic haze that swirled around the room. They drew their sword, letting it hum with power as a warning. It wasn’t unthinkable that an assassin could have been waiting, after all. With their free hand, Byleth ripped back the sheets and peered under the bed.

A lone, ragged teddy bear sat there, looking back with black button eyes. Its fur was misshapen and one of the arms was gone, but Byleth would have recognized it anywhere. Their stomach lurched.

_“Edelgard, may I speak to you privately?”_

_As the rest of the class filtered out the entrance, bracing themselves for the frosty embrace of the Wyvern Moon weather, Edelgard nodded towards her professor._

_“Of course, my Teacher. Hubert?”_

_The tall attendant seemed to have to peel himself off of the wall he was leaning against. He took three laborious steps out the door, displeasure plain on his face._

_Edelgard approached Byleth’s desk, quirking an eyebrow._

_“Has there been something wrong with my performance?” she asked._

_“No, not at all, you’re excelling. As usual.” Byleth smiled, but Edelgard didn’t reciprocate. “This is about what happened last Wednesday.” _

__

__

_ Immediately, Edelgard’s posture changed. Her shoulders sunk and she swiveled her head, checking the room for any possible eavesdroppers. “Professor, please, forget you heard anything. I am grateful, but…” For once, she seemed to be at a loss for words._

_“You were screaming in your sleep, Edelgard. You told me it happened frequently, too.” Byleth’s face was contorted slightly, worry evident on their stoic features. “I’m sorry, I can’t just forget something like that.”_

_The fingers on Edelgard’s left hand seemed to clench and unclench of their own accord, the young woman clearly caught off-guard by the discussion. “Understood. But please, keep it a secret.” She exhaled. “Was there anything else, Professor.”_

_Byleth held up a finger as they slid back in their chair, rifling through the desk with their free hand. “Just a moment, I got you something.” With a slight flourish, they plopped a stuffed bear onto the desk, smiling slightly._

_Edelgard blinked, but Byleth could have sworn they saw a slight twinkle in her eyes before the lids shut. “This...this is for me?”_

_Byleth nodded. “It is. They were selling them at the market. I thought you might like it.” They slipped a hand behind the bear and made it wave a stuffed arm. Edelgard tried to conceal her smile, but not very well._

_“Teacher, thank you...but aren’t these typically for children? I am eighteen, you know.”_

_“I do. But I didn’t want you to have to face the night alone anymore.”_

_Things went silent for a moment as Edelgard stood, her gaze fixed on the bear. Gingerly, she reached across the desk, pulling the bear into her arms. She held it tightly to her chest, running a few gloved fingers gently across its cloth ears._

_“This is very thoughtful, Professor. But please, do not burden yourself with worry for my sake. I will persevere, as I always have.”_

_Byleth grinned. “Are you going to name it?”_

_Edelgard’s face paled slightly. “Hmm...Bear?” She frowned in response to Byleth’s raised eyebrows. “What? I believe Bear is a fine name!”_

_Chuckling, Byleth shook their head. “Then Bear it is. You don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to, I just thought it might help. That’s all.”_

_A soft smile rose to Edelgard’s lips. “As if I would ever discard a gift from you, Professor. Thank you, sincerely.” She ran her thumb across the bear’s head. “I’m sure Bear would thank you as well, if he possessed any form of speech.”_

_Laughing again, Byleth stood and walked alongside their student into the cold._

Bear was hurt, torn, and disheveled, but unmistakably the same. Clearly he had seen heavy use.

_shaking arms clinging to memories_

_a hardened heartbeat muffled_

_pain diverted, if just for a moment_

“Did you find anything?” Seteth looked Byleth over carefully as they exited the room.

“Nothing the Church could use.” Byleth replied, moving something carefully under their cloak.

At the end of the day, coffins were prepared for the fallen. All were identical in make, but one in particular stood under heavy guard. It was headed for an unmarked grave, somewhere it could be utterly forgotten.

Byleth trudged towards the wooden box, gingerly pulling the bear from beneath their cloak.

Bear smelled like bergamot tea.

Slowly, carefully, Byleth laid the toy to rest next to the corpse, already covered in a shawl.

“Please keep taking care of her.”

They would ensure that this sleep was peaceful.

**Author's Note:**

> I saw some fan art of the 3H cast holding teddy bears on Twitter and my terrible brain was like "what if you made it sad????"
> 
> And then I teared up a little and it was 2:00 AM and...this happened.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Feedback is welcome! I'm sorry!
> 
> (more broken blade coming when the writer's block stops destroying me)


End file.
